Removable disk is write protected how to remove. Simple ways to remove write protection from a flash drive

Hello everyone, friends. Today, I want to tell you about how to remove write protection from a flash drive as soon as possible and without any particular difficulties. The fact is that the other day, as usual, I wanted to copy a certain file to a USB flash drive, but in response I saw a message of a similar nature: “The disk is write-protected. Remove protection or use another drive. " What are these things? After all, there have never been such cases before and everything worked perfectly. As a result, I started looking for ways to solve this problem, which I will discuss in this article.

First, let's look at the main reasons why write protection can appear:

- The integrity of the file system was violated, for example, due to misuse flash drives (for example, at the end of work with a flash drive, the function of safely removing the device is not used)

- The flash drive was attacked and infected with viruses. The most common reason.

- Banal damage to the flash drive itself. Somewhere fell, or was subjected to a strong blow.

- A special switch is installed on the flash drive, which prevents virus infection and puts write protection on the flash drive.

We figured out the reasons, now I will tell you how to remove the write protection from a flash drive by software and mechanical means.

We bypass protection using a mechanical method

Diskpart utility

Local editor group policy- gpedit.msc

Programs for removing protection from a flash drive

Mechanical way to remove protection from a flash drive

As for the mechanics, everything is very simple here. Carefully inspect your USB flash drive for a so-called switch that mechanically installs protection on the USB flash drive. In the ones below, I have given several examples of flash drives with such a switch. If yours has such a switch, just move it to the other side and everything will work.

If the situation with the switch did not solve anything, we proceed to the software methods for removing protection from the flash drive.

Removing protection using the OS registry

1) In order to remove protection from a USB flash drive using the operating system registry, we need to click the Start button and enter - regedit in the search field (the command for editing the registry). After that, right-click (right-click) on the icon that appears and select the item - Run as administrator.

2) Now we need to find a special section called StorageDevicePolicies, which is responsible for prohibiting writing to a USB flash drive.

It should be located along the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ StorageDevicePolicies

Important! If you haven't found this section on the specified path, then you need to create it manually. To do this, go to the parent section Control, right-click on it and select - Create - Section. We give it a name - StorageDevicePolicies.

3) Go to the StorageDevicePolicies section we created and right-click in the right area of the registry. Select the menu item - Create - DWORD Parameter (32 bits). We call it an arbitrary name, for example, WriteProtect.

4) Now we just have to make sure that the value of the WriteProtect parameter is 0. To do this, double-click on this parameter or right-click on WriteProtect and select the menu item - Change.

Important! If the value in this parameter is set as 1, then change it to 0 and press the OK button.

5) Close the registry editor window, remove our USB flash drive from the device, and reboot it. After rebooting, insert the flash drive and check the ability to write files to it.

Removing protection from a flash drive via Diskpart

If the option of removing protection using the registry did not work, we will try to carry out this operation through the command line interface.

For this:

1) Press the Start button, enter the diskpart command, then right-click on the icon that appears and select the item - Run as administrator.

2) In the window that appears, enter the command - list disk and press the Enter key. A list of drives will appear in front of us, in which you need to determine the serial number of your flash drive.

It's easy to do this with the size of your flash drive. For example, my flash drive has a size of 8 GB, so in the list of media, I can easily identify it. If you do not know the size of your flash drive, then double-click on the My Computer icon (usually located on the desktop) and see what size your flash drive is (RMB - Properties).

After you have selected the desired media, enter the command select disk your media number(I have it 1). Press Enter and an inscription with the selected disk should appear.

3) Enter the command - attributes disk clear readonly, which clears the attributes - read-only for the flash drive and removes write protection from it.

Press Enter and if everything is done correctly, then you will see the inscription - Disk attributes successfully cleared.

Close the diskpart utility window.

Remove protection using the Local Group Policy Editor

Sometimes there are cases that the ban on writing is enabled through the Group Policy Editor in the OS itself. Let's check it out:

1) Press the Start button and enter the gpedit.msc command in the search bar, then press the Enter button.

2) In the window that appears, follow the path: Computer configuration - Administrative templates - System - Access to removable storage devices and in the right pane of the window select the item - Removable drives: Deny recording.

At this point, we pay attention to the state that stands near the inscription. If the state is set there - Enabled, then click 2 times LMB on it and in a new window select the Disable item. Click Apply and OK.

List of programs for removing protection from a USB flash drive

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool- a universal program that fits almost any USB flash drive and allows you to quickly remove protection. program, run the exe-file (installation this program does not require) which is in the archive and the program will automatically detect your USB flash drive. After that, you need to select the type of file system into which the program will format, and click the Start button.

JetFlash Recovery Tool - this program is suitable only for flash drives of the following manufacturers: JetFlash, A-DATA and Transcend. program, we carry out a simple installation, and after launching it, press the Start button.

Apacer Repair- this program works only with flash drives from Apacer. If you have just such a flash drive, then the program and in order to remove it from the flash drive, just run it and follow the instructions on the screen.

AlcorMP is one of the best programs to carry out similar actions. It works with AlcorMP controllers. archive, unpack it and run the AlcorMP.exe file in the folder itself. In the event that your flash drive works on the AlcorMP controller, the inscription in the G line will be black, which means that everything is in order and you can work. If the inscription is red, then it is impossible to work with this flash drive. In order to remove the write protection from the flash drive, simply press the Start button (A) after setting the switch to Russian.

An important nuance. All programs for working with flash drives must be run with administrator rights. To do this, right-click on the shortcut to launch the program or on the program itself and select - Run as administrator from the context menu.

A couple of points. Before using the above programs, I recommend to carry out preliminary actions and if they already do not help, only then resort to the help of software tools. What is the reason for this? If you use the software, then all your files will be deleted, as the process of formatting the flash drive will take place. To prevent this from happening, use the methods below, and if they already do not help, then you can already start working with the programs.

1) If your flash drive is infected with viruses (suspicious files on it), then scan it and remove all found viruses.

2) There are times when it is enough to change the USB port and the data from the flash drive is perfectly readable.

3) Be sure to check for the protection switch on the USB flash drive. If it is in "Lock" mode, then move it to the other side.

That's all the tips that I wanted to give you on the topic of how to remove write protection from a flash drive. I hope this article will help you in solving this problem.

That's all for me. Until next time !!!

Having a problem with your write-protected flash drive? Don't know how to unlock a USB flash drive, make it readable? You are trying to write a file to a usb-drive or sd-card, and in response you receive a message: "flash drive is write-protected." If you urgently need to copy files to a disk or flash drive, I will show you how to remove protection and format (or clear) the storage medium - for further work, familiar and correct.

We use programs to format memory cards and usb-flash drives

Some flash drives are equipped with proprietary software. It works better than standard tools Windows formatting... These programs - not always, but nevertheless - will help remove protection. The disadvantage of this approach is that you lose all data on the media. Therefore, if this is unacceptable to you, move on to the next chapter.

2. More universal way Forcefully format a USB flash drive / sd card - use formatting utilities like Hp Disk Format Tool. Can choose file system and the type of formatting.

Restoring access to a USB flash drive through the Registry

The method of removing write protection is quite simple, but it requires minimal dexterity and careful handling of the registry editor. If you are not 100% sure of your actions, make a backup copy of the Windows Registry using the RegOrganizer program.

1. Open the Registry Editor (Start - regedit).

2. Change to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ directory. If there is no StorageDevicePolicies folder inside this directory, create it. For this:

3. Right click on the current Control directory

4. From the menu, select New - Section and name it StorageDevicePolicies.

5. Right-click on StorageDevicePolicies and select a new value for DWORD (32-bit) for 32-bit OS or DWORD (64-bit) for 64-bit, respectively.

6. Rename the dword parameter to WriteProtect, double-click on the line, set the value to 0 (HEX).

7. Safely remove the USB stick and restart your computer.

8. Connect the USB flash drive. Format it if necessary.

Video version of the instruction:

Another solution, how to remove protection from a disk: using the diskpart utility

diskpart is a console utility included in Windows XP and above that allows flexible management of hard disks, file volumes and partitions at a deep level of access.

We will try to access the problematic flash drive through the console, and then format the write-protected flash drive.

1. Open command line(cmd.exe). Enter "diskpart" to open the utility.

2. Enter "list disk" to display a list of available disks on the system.

3. Determine where your USB drive is listed. Enter "SELECT DISK n", where n is your USB stick with a write protected disk.

Be very careful! Choosing the wrong media will result in you losing all data on the selected drive.

4. Enter "clean" (you may need to repeat this command twice or thrice). If all else fails, try other ways to unlock your flash drive.

5. Enter "create partition primary" to create a new partition on the usb stick.

6. Enter "select partition" to select a partition on the disk

7. Enter "active" to make the disk active

8. Enter "format fs = ntfs" to format to NTFS (before formatting the flash drive, make sure to select the correct storage medium!).

By the way, the option with diskpart is one of the best methods to format a write-protected USB flash drive without resorting to third-party tools.

Another way to remove protection from a memory card / flash drive. Diskmgmt.msc utility

The method of removing the protection is suitable for both sd memory cards and usb-flash drives. We need a standard implementation for us. Windows component for disk management - diskmgmt.msc.

Start - Run. Enter diskmgmt.msc into the text line and press Enter
Right button on the section you want to format (letter and section will help you identify)
Select "Delete volume ..." and confirm the operation
V context menu select the "Create Volume" command
Select primary partition
Leave all parameters as default.
Click ok

Remove protection from a flash drive through the Windows Group Policy Editor

In some cases, access to the flash drive is limited by the rights of Windows local group policy. We will tell you how to remove the protection in a similar situation:

Start - Run -.
In the panel that opens, go to the next section: "Computer configuration - Administrative templates - System - Access to removable storage devices".
Next, you need to deactivate the option "Removable drives: Deny reading" by switching to the "Disable" state.

Other working methods for removing write protection of files

If none of the above recipes helped - well, other methods will probably work, how to remove protection from the flash drive (the list will grow over time).

Check your flash drive for viruses. Some malicious applications establish their own control over files, as a result, the flash drive is protected from writing data belonging to viruses. How to remove protection in this case? We recommend using the best antivirus software for scanning.
Check if there is a hardware button on the flash drive that allows you to physically unlock it (there is a switch on the side that needs to be pushed towards the open lock). However, today such usb flash drives and sd cards are very rare - mostly, these are old models of devices.
Update the flash drive firmware, you can find the exact model on Google by the chip vendor and chip vendor model, see Device Manager.

Conclusion... Although it is not always possible to determine why the flash drive is write-protected, of the many described methods, at least one is working. If none of the ways to remove protection from the flash drive helped you, it remains to replace usb drive- in other words, buy a new one.

However, ask questions on the topic - you can do this through side panel on our website. We will try to help.

The media is write protected: what to do? FAQ

32 gig WANSENDA flash drive when formatting. When you try to delete a file, it asks you to remove the write protection from the disk or use another. What to do, how to remove write protection? I can not delete or upload files to the USB flash drive.

Answer... Try removing protection from your flash drive through the Registry, using the diskpart or diskmgmt.msc utilities (included with Windows). Format the USB flash drive with special programs - Low level format or Disk format tool (see the beginning of the guide).

All formatting attempts give one result to me: remove protection, the card is write-protected. I took off the protection in all sorts of ways, but it comes back, I can’t help it. The phone gives information about a malfunction of the card and cannot format it in any way. The computer and laptop are accepted, but formatting fails.

Can you tell me what to do, how to remove protection from the sd card? Other phones and digital camera didn't help.

Answer... Try to reset the protection using the methods described in the article and immediately format the memory card to FAT32. Check if there is a switch on the sd card (it may be in the wrong position, so the memory card is write protected).

I can not format a SONY 64GB flash drive, copy and delete files on it. The system says the disk is write protected. What to do? I tried everything that you have. Does not help. Flash bought in mvideo, 3 months ago, worked properly before.

Answer... For some users, the proprietary JetFlash Recovery utility helps to remove protection. It allows you to format the flash drive at a low access level. If that doesn't work, try removing write protection from the disk through the registry or command line. Then restart your computer.

I have Samsung phone S3600, stopped writing files to the card. The most interesting thing is that there are two photos and one video left on the map - it doesn't work at all to delete them. They are deleted from the computer, but then appear again on the map. I can’t write anything to the card - at first it’s as if everything is there, but in the phone - there’s nothing ... just like it’s not. I didn’t drop my phone, didn’t drown it, it was just that the card suddenly stopped working, and even so bizarrely. He sees the card, but does not write anything on it and does not delete anything from it ... How to remove the write protection on a USB flash drive?

Answer... You can remove write protection on a flash drive through forced formatting. This can be done through the console utility diskpart for Windows or all sorts of graphical utilities like SDFormatter or Hp disk format tool.

Files may not be deleted due to read errors in the sectors on which non-deleted files are written. You can check the USB flash drive for errors through Properties - Service - Check in Explorer.

After navigator with ADRplayer, I cannot delete files from SD-card (including write-protected ones). In Windows it is recognized as a 118MB disk with ADRplayer on it. Files are all played by this program. Windows formatting is not possible.

Answer... Since the sd card disk is write protected, you need to format it to NTFS via the command line (using the diskpart utility) or using the diskmgmt.msc system utility. In addition, there is a wonderful program for sd cards called SDFormatter - it removes write protection.

it is not clear what happened to the flash card, when the card is connected to the computer, it is issued "To use the disk in drive J, first format it." options didn't help.

The way through diskmgmt.msc after right-clicking on the flash drive does not allow "delete the volume" and other actions are simply not active. The file system of the flash card is Raw, and the system says that it is working properly. What to do, how to remove write protection from a flash drive, reanimate it?

Answer... In addition to diskmgmt.msc, try removing the write protection on the flash drive through the Registry or using the diskpart console utility. For formatting, use not standard Windows tools, but, for example, Low level format. If, after these manipulations, the disk is still write-protected, try opening the USB flash drive in another operating system, use third-party software to manage disks on a flash drive - say, Acronis Disk Director.

Bought a mini sd for a 128GB SanDisk phone. I insert into the phone Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016), will work for a while and then it blocks writing to it. whatever I did: both formatted through the PC, and through the phone - everything was useless, it would work for a while, then it again blocks the recording. How to format a protected USB flash drive?

Answer... The file table on the memory card may be damaged, making it impossible to write new data. In such cases, it is recommended to check the disk for errors via standard tool chkdsk (Start - Run - chkdsk). If doesn't help, please format the sd card via sd formatter desktop app. Judging by the reviews, the utility has helped many users when formatting a USB flash drive. It is also possible to format the sd card via Recovery menu by restarting the phone in the appropriate mode and selecting the Wipe cache partition option.

I ordered a USB flash memory from the Internet. I initially formatted, but I did not like that she did not read and see all formats. I decided to format completely, without a tick, only (table of contents). now a laptop with Windows 10 OS sees it, but requires to format it. I format, but the flash drive is not formatted - the disk is write protected. I already tried to do something (download programs), but I don't understand, I am still far from this.

Answer... In your case, it is advisable to format the USB flash drive with non-standard ones. Windows tools, I through specialized software - fortunately that the choice is wide. First of all, look for programs specifically for your flash drive on the manufacturer's website. If not, use the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool or any disk manager like Acronis Disk Director. Specify NTFS or exFAT as the file system.

1) 16 GB Sandisk ultra USB 3.0 flash drive. Tried everything from letter renaming to registry cleaning. As soon as you start formatting (including through partition management), a message pops up that Windows cannot do this and the flash drive disappears from the field of view. I also tried HDD Low Level Format Tool v4.40 Final - the same thing happens as described above. How to format a write-protected USB flash drive?

2) I cannot format the micro SD card. Writes: "Windows could not complete formatting." Already tried different programs and the command line. It is still not formatted. I just can not delete the files. I click "delete", removed the USB flash drive and put it back. The file that I deleted is again there I can neither delete nor format.

Answer... Try other formatting programs: SDFormatter or software available on the developer's website (sometimes you can use them to format a USB flash drive bypassing system errors). Besides Disk Management, you can use any disk manager like Partition Magic or Acronis Disk Director.

It can also be assumed that the problem is with Windows or the computer's configuration. Try to format the USB flash drive on another computer or in another OS environment (Windows / Mac OS / Linux).

Some flash drives have a protection function that prevents users from writing anything to a removable disk or, conversely, deleting data from it. Let's figure out what this function is, what it is for and how to remove it if necessary.

What is write protection on a USB flash drive?

The write protection function is used in flash cards so that it is impossible to delete or add files to the flash drive.

This function can be configured both on the flash drive itself, using a special physical slider, or by software. In addition, there is also a special write protection: system. If you enable such protection on the computer, it will be basically impossible to transfer something from the computer to a USB flash drive or any other recording device. It is used, for example, on office computers.

How do I remove write protection?

If, when you try to copy something to a USB flash drive, delete some files from it or change them, a message appears stating that the flash card is write protected, then you have a write ban enabled. And to continue working with the flash drive, the function must be disabled.

Protection enabled by built-in switch

The simplest case: the slider on the flash drive is moved to the Lock position, that is, write protection is enabled. Examine your flash card, find such a slider (most often found on SD cards; on USB flash drives - a rarity). If there is such a slider, and it is shifted to the Lock position (instead of the Lock inscription, a locked lock can be drawn), then move it back. The write protection function will be disabled and you can fully work with the flash drive.

System write protection enabled

If there is no mechanical switch on the flash drive or it is in the desired position, then the protection can be in the system itself. To verify this, try inserting another USB flash drive into your computer. If it is impossible to write anything to it, then the problem is really in the system protection.

System protection can be enabled in several ways, let's look at how to disable each of them.

Through the register

To disable write protection in the registry:

First, open the "Registry Editor" (Win + R, enter regedit in the window);
Then the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Control;
Find the StorageDevicePolicies folder;
The folder contains the WriteProtect parameter;
1 - protection is enabled, 0 - disabled (if there is no StorageDevicePolicies folder, then protection is not enabled either);
Disconnect, reboot and try to transfer the file to the USB flash drive, it should work.

Deny via Group Policy Settings

You can write-protect a USB flash drive by changing the local group policy settings. Here's what you need to do to re-enable writing to external drives:

You need to open the "Local Group Policy Editor" (Win + R, enter gpedit.msc in the window);
Then open the folder "Computer configuration" -> "Administrative templates" -> "System" -> "Access to removable storage devices";
Find the option "Removable Drives: Deny Writing". If the parameter has the status "Enabled", click on it double click and toggle the status to Not Configured or Disabled.
Click "Apply" and try writing something to the USB stick, it should work.

Protection is enabled by setting access rights

When formatting a flash drive, you can set access rights for different user groups. For example, allow only administrators to write files to a USB flash drive. To check if such protection is worth it on your flash drive:

Open the properties of the flash drive (right-click on the icon of your flash drive in "My Computer", then "Properties");
Open the "Security" tab;
The page will contain a list of various user groups. By clicking on one of them, you can see which actions are allowed for this group and which are not. The list of permissions is right below the list of user groups.
If the access rights have been set on your computer, then you can change the permissions by selecting the desired user group and clicking the "Change" button. To completely remove the ban on recording, select the "All" group, click "Change" and check the boxes for all actions in the "Allow" column.
If the rights were not installed on your computer, but access to the right computer no (or you, in principle, do not know on which computer this was done), then only formatting the flash drive will help, which will lead to the loss of data on it. Of course, if the prohibition is only for writing, and not for reading from a USB flash drive, then important files can be saved on the computer's hard drive.

How to format a USB flash drive, if necessary:

Open "My Computer" (either "Computer" or "This Computer", depending on the version of Windows);
Find the icon of your flash drive, right-click on it and select "Format ...";
Then select the file system into which you want to reformat the USB flash drive (if you don’t understand, select FAT32 - the standard Windows file system);
Click the Get Started button. A warning will appear stating that formatting will erase all data from the device, close the dialog box and wait until formatting is complete.
Ready.

Disable write inhibit using command line

You can solve the problem through the command line. This will not help in all cases, but in many.

Open a command prompt (Win + R, enter cmd in the window);
Enter the command Diskpart, then disk list. A list of all connected drives will appear, find the number of your flash drive.
Enter select command disk * flash drive number *;
Enter attributes disk clear readonly;
Close Command Prompt, restart your computer and try to rewrite something to a USB flash drive.

Video: how to remove write protection

Disable write protection using special programs

There are several programs that can remove write protection from flash cards. Some flash drive manufacturers release such programs for their products. However, the usefulness of these programs tends to zero, since the principle by which they work is to format the flash drive. Naturally, with the deletion of all data. Any user can do the same on their own by right-clicking on the flash drive icon in "My Computer" and clicking "Format ...".

But, perhaps, for inexperienced users such software can help, so let's analyze the existing software.

JetFlash Recovery Tool

The program was developed by Transcend and can only work with USB flash drives from Transcend and A-Data. To format a USB flash drive, download the program from the official website, install, then run it. The program will automatically detect your USB flash drive, all you have to do is click "Start".

Apacer Repair

Apacer program that can work only with flash drives from its manufacturer. The algorithm of work is as follows: download the program, open the exe-file, press Repair or Format. The Repair function automatically detects the problem, the Format function formats the USB flash drive.

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

The program was developed by HP, but it can work with flash cards of all manufacturers, but you cannot download it separately: it is preinstalled in HP laptops. To format a USB flash drive, run the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, in the first field, select the name of your flash drive, then the desired file system and click "Start".

As we found out, the problem of banning recording is quite solvable. There are many ways to deal with it, but sometimes it is impossible to disable protection without losing the data stored on the flash drive. There is only one piece of advice: do not store all your eggs in one basket. Do not rely on a flash card, save important data both in the computer and in cloud services... It will be more reliable this way.

I apologize for the title, but this is how the question is asked when, when acting with USB stick or SD card Windows memory reports the error “The disk is write-protected. Remove protection or use a different disk ”(The disk is write-protected). In this manual, I will show you several ways to remove protection from a flash drive or memory card and tell you where it comes from.

Note that in different cases, the message that the disk is write-protected may appear for various reasons - often due to Windows settings, but sometimes - because of a damaged flash drive. I will touch on all the options and the corresponding methods for removing protection in Windows 10, 8.1 or Windows 7. If something turned out to be not entirely clear, then at the bottom of the article there is a video that demonstrates almost all the ways to fix the error.

Another way that can help clear the error USB disk, which suddenly shows an error while writing - remove protection in the command line.

To do this, follow these steps:

(In Windows 10, this is easiest to do through a search in the taskbar, in Windows 8.1 - using the right-click menu on the Start button, in Windows 7 - through a right-click on the command line in the Start menu).
At the command prompt, enter diskpart and press Enter. Then enter the command list disk and in the list of disks find your USB flash drive, you will need its number. Enter the following commands in order, pressing Enter after each one.
select disk N(where N is the number of the flash drive from the previous step)
attributes disk clear readonly
exit

Close the command line, disconnect and reconnect the flash drive, then try to perform any actions with the flash drive, for example, format it or write some information to check if the error has disappeared.

The disk is write protected - a solution for Transcend, Kingston, Silicon Power and others flash drives

Video instruction

Below is a video on this error, which shows all the methods described above. Perhaps she can help you deal with the problem.

I hope one of the approaches helped you in solving the problem. If not, I also recommend checking your flash drive on another computer or laptop: this will allow you to determine whether the write protection is a consequence of the system settings or the drive itself is to blame.

A flash drive is a reliable means of storing personal information of its owner, but sometimes, when trying to write files to it, an error "The disk is write-protected" may appear. This problem occurs due to many different reasons, including when a flash drive breaks down. You can cope with it at home, without special skills.

Reasons for the error

Before removing the protection from the flash drive, you should familiarize yourself with the main reasons that provoke the blocking of the flash drive. The most common of these are :

incorrect Windows settings;
malfunction of the USB port;
lack of drivers that are responsible for recognizing the media on the computer;
misuse (removing the flash drive before the process of writing, downloading, reading or moving is completed);
infection of a flash card with a virus;
finding the physical switch in the wrong position.

The appearance of an error is also associated with a breakdown of the media itself. Cheap chinese fakes flash cards of famous world leaders have many faults.

Write protection types

The types of write protection of flash media can be conditionally divided into 2 groups - software and hardware. The first type of protection is a set of specialized programs that are designed to ensure data security.

A standard example of hardware protection is the presence of a special switch on the body of a flash drive that can be used to manually disable or enable the ability to write files. It is always present on SD cards, but much less often on ordinary drives.

Ways to solve the problem

Before you get acquainted with the most effective ways to fix the problem and resort to using them, it is worth checking the operation of the flash drive on another computer, since the reason may lie in a malfunctioning USB port or poor contact.

It is also worth checking the position of the switch, as it often moves involuntarily. After making sure that there are no mechanical problems, you can proceed to different methods troubleshoot.

Hardware method

The hardware method using the command line is the most common and effective way solving the problem. To begin with, you should launch the command line with the Win + R key combination or using the "Command Line" application located in the "Start" menu. After opening it, you need to proceed step by step by entering the following commands:

"Cmd" (after opening the Run window).
"Diskpart" (to run the disk manager application on the system).
List disk. A list of disks will appear in the window that opens and from it you should select the appropriate one and enter the command "select disk" and its number.
"Attributes disk clear readonly" (entered to unlock all protected files).

As soon as the message "Disk attributes have been cleared successfully" appears, you should exit, close the command line and check the USB flash drive for operability.

Scanning for viruses

Another effective method of solving this problem is scanning for viruses. It is necessary to act as follows:

Go to "This computer" and right-click on the name assigned to the flash drive (for example, "Transcend").
Select "Scan for viruses" from the menu that appears.
Clear the USB flash drive from detected viruses.

This method is suitable for any anti-virus software installed on a personal computer.

Applying Windows Group Policy

In some cases, the problem lies in the restriction of rights. group policy Windows. To remove protection in this case, first, press the "Windows" and "R" keys simultaneously, enter the command "gpedit.msc" in the window that appears and click "OK". Then, you need to sequentially go to the following tabs:

computer configuration;
administrative templates;
system;
access to removable storage devices.

After opening the option window, set the "Disable" checkbox. Then you need to click on "Apply" and "OK".

Removing protection through Total Commander

A significant number different functions proposes file manager Total commander... To remove protection from a flash drive, use it to resort to the following manipulations:

click "Configuration";
click "Settings";
enter the "Operations with files" tab
check the box "Automatic selection of copying method".

To save the settings, click on "Apply" and "OK", and then check the media for operability.

Use of specialized programs

To cope with the problem will help and use special programs, which can be downloaded for free on the Internet. Before downloading a particular utility, it is advisable to find out the brand of the media itself. Among the most popular specialized programs, it is worth highlighting:

JetFlash Recovery Tool... This program is freely available and is suitable for A-Data and Transcend media. After downloading and installing the utility, you need to run it and press the "Start" button (the flash drive must be inserted into the USB input). After the process is over, you should check the media for operability.
Apacer Repair. This free utility specially designed for flash drives of its own production, but also suitable for other media. After the download and installation of the program is complete, you need to insert the flash drive into the USB input and run Apacer Repair. To solve the problem, when starting the utility, the user will be prompted to format the media. To confirm, you need to click "Format".

Formatting media

The most radical way to solve the problem is to format the USB flash drive. Please be aware that this method will erase all files and folders from the media permanently.

First you need to download and install a free or paid modification of the "HDD Low Level Format Tool". Then it should be launched and the following manipulations performed: